Help Fund the Bowdoinham Town Hall Renovations!

For 50 years The Bowdoinham Town Hall has been the host of many a lively evening of Contra Dancing! Unfortunately, this majestic historic hall, sitting on the highest knoll in town, has been condemned! The Town Selectpersons have designated funds to renovate from the taxpayers of Bowdoinham.

However......Now we have an opportunity to give back!

Through the 70's, 80's and 90's and into the present, Bowdonham dances have been a healthy hub of the revival of Contra Dancing in Maine. We, in the dance community, greatly appreciate the welcome we have always received from town members, who, In the spirit of community, have always kept the rent affordable. This warm welcome made it possible for a resurgence of New England Contra Dancing in the state, shepherding a thru line from the past, to the present and on into the future.

The Go Fund Me Campaign offers us a way to show our deep gratitude to the town of Bowdoinham for all their support through the years.

Won't you jump on the bandwagon and send a message to town folks, that we appreciate the many many years of welcoming the dance community in Bowdoinham?

For a little history, Read on...

In 1975, when the Contra Dance revival was in its infancy, David Berry, a well established member of town, welcomed the Maine Country Dance Orchestra to come hold dances in Bowdoinham. For 25 years, the MCDO ran dances on the first Saturday of the month, through snow and ice, without fail. These dances had a reputation for fun, and always attracted a large enthusiastic crowd. Consequently, dancers came from far and wide, often as far as Boston.

Around 2000, Scrod Pudding with Bill Olsen and Pam Weeks picked up the baton and ran the dances in the Bowdoinham Town Hall. Eventually they organized different bands and callers as was the norm happening elsewhere all around the State. Occasionally, The Pineland Fiddlers, directed by Ellen Gawler with several students from Bowdoinham, would host a family dance with an all-comers band prior to playing for the usual evening dance. Since the pandemic, the dances have taken a break and have not resumed on a regular basis.

It's time to give back! There are those that would maintain that the Bowdoinham dances were the link between the dances nearly dying out and the thriving revival of the dance scene here in Maine today. In the early 1970's, there still existed a couple of old time dances, down east and elsewhere, that were mostly couples dances, often with one token contra, "The Ladies of the Lake" that was typically danced once an evening. In other New England States, Dudley Laughman was calling every night of the week, which in turn, influenced what some of the MCDO members brought to life in Bowdoinham.

Who was in the Main Country Dance Orchestra? The band was comprised of 3 bands; The Northern Valley Boys, The Old Grey Goose, and The Pine Hill String Band. The members of these bands were all good friends and wanted to play together on a regular basis. And so, the Orchestra was born. The ‘big band’ configuration gave the musicians the ability to take turns with the calling while occasionally having the ability to hop off stage and dance. Greg Boardman, Chris Prickett, and the late Dave Livingston were in the Northern Valley Boys. Bob Childs, Ellen (Thomas) Gawler, and Jeff (Smokey) McKeen, were in the Old Grey Goose. Doug Protsik, Elaine Malkin (Protsik) and John Gawler were in the Pine Hill String Band. Later, Carter and Kaity Newell became members of the MCDO. As the years passed, many of us had kids that would come along, and as the night would wear on, they bedded down in sleeping bags behind the thumping piano.

The MCDO dances were noteworthy for a few reasons. All the members of the band were good callers and took turns providing the calling for the evening. They always had an open door policy of allowing "sit-ins" for people who were interested in learning and wanted to play with the band. Also, the band believed in the old time style of not using a sound system. Sometimes they used a megaphone but mostly, the dancers were very good at being quiet when the teaching was being done. The dances started at 8:00 and went 'till midnight, and sometimes beyond, if they were having too much fun to stop! Because the musicians were not tied to microphones, there was plenty of moving around on the stage and out onto the dance floor. Sometimes the band would devolve into "All You Need is Love" or any number of other Beatles songs. The MCDO were the originators of the infamous "fall down ending" (famously captured in a National Geographic Article) where the band collapses to the floor and sticks their feet into the air on the last note.

The Contra dance community has played a small part in the care of the Bowdoinham Town Hall. In 1993, they helped paint the interior a lovely blue with off white walls. The dance community also contributed quilt squares to create a quilted stage curtain. They helped refurbish the floor on a couple of occasions. Like many old Town Hall buildings, because the hall was allowed to freeze between uses, there was no internal plumbing, but only an outhouse with a door at the back of the hall. Eventually, the town added facilities in an attached heated room as well as handicapped access.

The GoFundMe campaign beautifully provides an opportunity for our very appreciative dance community to give back. The proceeds have been earmarked to help cover the costs of the new floor and the restoration of the original Chandelier. Also, funds will be pegged to help with preserving historical aspects related to the dances in Bowdoinham.

Please give generously and spread the word!